Do YOU want to feel safe at work?

Do YOU want to feel safe at work?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that health care and social service workers suffered 69 percent of all workplace violence injuries caused by persons in 2017. Health care and social service workers are five times as likely to suffer an injury resulting from workplace violence than workers overall. Each year a bill is proposed demanding standards to prevent increasing rates of workplace violence. However, these bills are killed every year never seeing the light of day. Most social service and health care agencies in Fargo, North Dakota have failed to provide adequate workplace violence guidelines. These agencies assist in the increasing rates of vulnerable and at-risk individuals making it crucial to provide workers with adequate training needed to maintain worker safety. Improving staff training, staffing levels, resources, and the use of evidence-based interventions can increase the safety of both patients and staff.

I urge Representative Kelly Armstrong, Senator John Hoeven, and Senator Kevin Cramer to support H.R.1309- Workplace Violence Prevention for Healthcare and Social Service Workers Act. I am looking for 20,000 signatures to help urge North Dakota to take aggressive action and supporting this bill. Please help your friends, family, neighbors, or even yourself to reduce workplace violence in social service and healthcare settings.

**More information below**

Statistics:
Health care and social service industries experience the highest rates of injuries caused by workplace violence. In 2017, Health care and social service workers were five times more likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall. According to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, 70% of front-line child welfare, 67% of criminal justice, and 45% of social workers employed reported facing safety concerns in a workplace setting.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that private sector injury rates of workplace violence in health care and social service sectors increased by 63 percent between 2006 and 2016. Studies have demonstrated that workplace violence prevention programs tailored to the needs of specific work areas and State-based workplace violence prevention legislation are strongly associated with reductions in workplace violence. Studies have found that proper staff training, appropriate staffing levels, sufficient resources, and the use of evidence-based interventions can reduce the risks to the safety of both patients and staff.

More Information on H.R.1309:
There is NO cost for this bill as this is a change in standards. H.R.1309- Workplace Violence Prevention for Healthcare and Social Service Workers Act has been introduced to the U.S. Congress and is in the House Education and Labor, House Energy and Commerce, and House Ways and Means committees. The goal of this legislation is to help reduce workplace violence that healthcare and social service providers face every day. It requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop standards requiring health care and social service employers to write and implement a workplace violence prevention plan to prevent and protect employees from violent incidents in the workplace setting. With H.R.1309 employers would maintain a tracking log, provide an annual summary, and conduct an annual evaluation of plan effectiveness on violent altercations which have occurred. This proactive approach would help prevent and reduce the number of violent instances from occurring in the workplace.

My story:
I am a graduate student at the University Of North Dakota where I am continuing my education to become a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW). I have worked in Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota with vulnerable populations for the last ten plus years. During this time, I have experienced several instances of workplace violence either directed towards myself or other workers by clients being served. I am concerned about the disconnect between the employees and policies put in place to prevent workplace violence in healthcare and social service settings.

Whom does this bill apply to:
- hospital or clinic facility
- nursing home, skilled nursing facility, hospice facility, or long-term care facility
- medical treatment or social service setting
- correctional or detention facility
- Any community care setting, including a community-based residential facility, group home, or mental health clinic
- Any psychiatric treatment facility
- Any drug abuse or substance use disorder treatment center
- Any independent freestanding emergency centers